And your time starts now
by HappyHoratio
Summary: Sarah realises her true feelings for the goblin king, but in order to win him back after she refused him she has to complete a little task and the Labyrinth isn't playing fair. Story will get darker as it progresses, potentially rating may go up. First fanfic, so any guidance is very welcome.
1. Sarah's lament

**Disclaimer **I DO NOT own Labyrinth or any of the characters within this story as of yet!

I am simply using them as a vent to let out some creativity that I rarely get at work...pouring drinks can be ever so boring y'know!

* * *

The room was a swirl of colour and laughter, a group of friends celebrating a victory. Sarah's party had raged on for two hours already, the fact that the adult humans hadn't heard anything was a miracle in itself, however there was a lot of magic bouncing around in that room.

Little did they know the whole scene was being closely watched through a crystal ball.

This woman had some cheek, defeating his labyrinth, refusing him and then turning many of his subjects against him. The bog of eternal stench would be greeting some new residents very soon no doubt.

A woman. No. Not yet. A girl, a spoiled teenage girl. He had offered her _everything_, but she'd refused and spoken those damned words. Who was she to refuse the great Goblin King?!

She was Sarah Williams, a human, a mere mortal, destined for a short, magic-less, adventure-less life, before expiring and turning to dust for the rest of eternity. With that thought a strange pang of sadness flashed through him.

No! That couldn't happen, not if he could help it.

CRASH!

Jareth raised a finely arched eyebrow and cast a glance at whoever had broken part of his throne room this time. A goblin wearing a horned helmet, slowly looked up from the broken glass which covered a large section on the floor, both hands clasped over his mouth in pure fear.

His king drew a breath preparing to say something but before he could utter a syllable the goblin shrieked and promptly turned and launched himself in to a brick wall, landing back on the floor with a loud thud, which echoed through the now deathly silent room. Letting out another yelp he scrambled off the floor and darted out of the throne room and down the corridor shouting something along the lines of being "I'm-fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-forry-king-Jareff, pleafe don't bog meeeee!"

A smirk swept across the kings face, as the rest of the room saw his reaction they burst out in fits of laughter, rolling around the floor, occasionally one would roll along a piece of glass and jump into the air which resulted in yet more laughter. It had been a very long day in the castle but knowing their king found the situation amusing defused a lot of the tension in the room.

Jareth eyed all of his subjects, their laughter and casualness after the day he'd just had made him irritable to the point of snapping. He swung his leg off the arm rest and stood suddenly making his subjects stare cautiously up at him in a terrified silence.

One particularly brave goblin at the back on the rabble giggled uncontrollably.

The Goblin King glared down at him, when the goblin continued chuckling he stormed across the room making the goblin squeak in terror.

"You! Stop giggling this instant you little fool! Clean up this mess then get out of my throne room until you learn a bit of respect for your king!"

With a burst of glitter he was gone leaving the goblins to their own devices, hardly caring what state he would find the room in the morning.

* * *

The bed chambers of a king, as many would expect, were rather luxurious. A finely carved wooden door opened into a large stone room, fur rugs connected important areas of the room to prevent royal bare feet meeting cold stone slabs. To the left was another door leading in to a washroom of epic proportion, and to the right, an archway which led to a balcony overlooking his kingdom, and in the centre off the back wall, a four poster bed raised by a small step, swathed in silver sheets of silk, the canopy hosting a long shining velvet curtain tied back with sparkling ropes.

Jareth was particularly fond of his chambers, the one room in the castle that was strictly off limits to goblins, therefore it was always exactly how he'd left it.

To his right sat a decanter of wine upon a dresser covered in parchment and half written letters. He snatched a glass and poured red liquid in to it up to the brim.

Striding over to his balcony he breathed in the sweet scent of his room, a mix of cinnamon and burning candles, normally the smell would have relaxed him instantly, knowing he was in the safety of his chambers, no one watching him, a calming isolation that he didn't find anywhere else. But no, not tonight, he was too on edge. He had been defeated and that feeling lit a fire in his soul that nothing but his own victory could extinguish.

As he sat the chill of the stone bench stung his skin through his tight trousers making him inhale sharply.

From his place on the bench, one leg up, knee in the air, back against the wall of his castle he observed the birds flying carelessly over the stone maze in the distance, swooping down now and then in the hope of catching something warm and tasty to eat.

Red wine hit the back of his throat, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake as he considered how peaceful it must be to live purely to eat, sleep and mate. Rather than getting called out at all hours to answer yet another selfish so and so's wishes of taking away their screaming child.

Those damned birds were mocking him with a life he'd never know.

He would always be The Goblin King: Ruler of things that shouldn't make sense, leader of creature's that shouldn't exist.

Shouldn't. She shouldn't have beaten his labyrinth. _No one_ should have. Perhaps the gift of the Labyrinth is also it's curse he pondered...'anything can happen'.

He lifted the crystal in his palm and stared into it seeing her smiling as she waved goodbye to her friends and sat down at the dresser. Her beautiful emerald eyes twinkling in the lamplight.

The minutes tick –tocked by and her eyes settled on her doll of the goblin king, and much to Jareth's surprise, she was humming.

He set down his now empty wine glass and listened intently as she hummed a song very slowly, thoughtfully, almost...fondly.

She was humming the song he had sang to her in his ballroom.

Jareth was suddenly thankful that he was on his own, because as he listened, a smile spread across his face. Not a smirk, a joy filled smile that he had rarely employed before.

He understood her.

Sarah's lips parted and out came a whisper of singing "As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you, every thrill has gone, wasn't too much fun at all..." She ran a finger down the side of the figure "...but I'll be there for you..."

Jareth saw his chance and seized it perfectly, sending his voice through the crystal he joined her in the last line:

"As the world falls down"

Relishing her startled face and her frantic glances around her room, he chuckled deeply in satisfaction.

"Not missing me are you, precious?"


	2. Look what I'm offering you

Hey Y'all, here's my second chapter for my story 'And your time starts now'

Firstly I'd like to say sorry for any spelling mistakes in my first chapter, i read it after posting and noticed i'd called Jareth a 'Gobbling king', even though it made me chuckle it was still very cringeworthy. I tried to change it afterwards but im still getting to grips with this crazy thing called the...interwebz?

**DISCLAIMER - I obviously dont own Labyrinth, or any of it's lucky inhabitants and i promise to bring them home before it gets dark outside and yes we'll take our coats just in case.**

Are you sitting comfortably? Yes? Then lets begin:

* * *

Sarah felt the words stick in her suddenly dry throat, green eyes flitting around the room hoping to find him. He was _here_! In her room! How _dare_ he come here!

"Where are you!?" she demanded.

This amused him to no end _'no power over her?'_ then why was she shaking in her denim jeans? Such a terrible liar.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head. I'm nowhere near that little place you call America. So! My dear, are you missing me?"

Sarah could feel herself going red at the cheeks as she exclaimed unconvincingly "What! No! Of course not, I was just...just..."

"...just caressing and singing to a doll that looks an awful lot like my person?" He watched her try to protest and interrupted her before she could embarrass herself further, much as he was enjoying it. "Yes, sweet thing, you were"

"why're you watching me? You're king of the goblins after all, surely there are more important things to be doing that spying on a 16 year old girl in her bedroom you dirty old man" a coy smile played along her ruby lips.

Suppressing a laugh "Oh, my dear girl, don't flatter yourself, I was simply checking up on my subjects. I'd hate for harm to come to them. The fact that they're with you just makes me worry all the more if I'm perfectly honest sweetie"

Sweetie!

The girl had to catch her heart at that one before it fluttered away and she...No! he's the villain! He tried to kidnap Toby for goodness sake! Talking to him should feel like a chore not a privilege. Alas her young mind was enjoying these new feelings and she couldn't help herself.

"Goblin king? Would you come here and talk to me face to face? I feel rather silly standing here talking to the walls."

After a long pause he replied, voice echoing slightly around her bedroom "say your right words my love"

Hold on now. If she did he'd be here, in her room, look at the mess! For two minutes Sarah found herself frantically tidying, pushing dirty clothes under the bed, empty food packets were thrown in the waste paper bin, dragging a brush through her hair, getting it caught in a tangle on numerous occasions before stopping in her tracks as she remembered he was watching every move she made.

Releasing a very nervous chuckle she managed to explain "I'm just getting it fit for a king, y'know, it's these goblins of yours that made most of the mess" Inhaling deeply, releasing it loudly, gathering her courage to see him again.

"I wish..."

She lost her nerve, but a calming voice filled her head "Don't worry Sarah, nothing bad will come of you saying those words. Trust me."

"I wish. I wish the Goblin King was here with me right now!"

Opening her eyes slowly a weird mixture or relief and disappointment flooded through her.

"It didn't work" she said flatly, but she felt something tickle the back of her neck just under her left ear, making her gasp.

"Yes, my love, it did"

Sarah whirled around, whipping his chest with her hair.

"Please, don't be frightened, I would never hurt you, know that from the start"

Clearing her throat loudly she pushed herself out of his arms that he'd so slyly wrapped around her. "How on earth can I trust you after all that's happened tonight?"

"Precious, I have already explained why I did what I did. Do I really have to say it all again?" She nodded, a very slight nod, barely noticeable, but he was close enough to see the reflection of the moon move slightly in her eyes, so he continued:

"Sarah I am the Goblin King, if you wish something of me I have to answer. Every little whim you had I had to make a reality, so therefore, unknowingly, you made me the villain. Darling I do not kidnap children; I do what I am asked. You told me to take Toby so I did. Everyone says 'I didn't mean it' when I arrive, I have to test them, to see if they're worthy of having the child back. A handful of people have the determination to prove it when faced with their dreams in the palm of their hands. Only you have proved your love for the wished-away and actually succeeded"

Sarah gasped, tears creeping along her lower lashes, she was lost in his words, in those eyes.

"As the champion, you had the right to stay and rule the kingdom with me."

A pair of green eyes couldn't possibly have been wider at that moment. "Me!? Rule a kingdom, but I'm only 16 years old!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"My sweet, in the eyes of the labyrinth you had the love, the strength, acceptance of magic and determination to rule alongside me."

...

"Had?"

A chill of sadness flooded his heart; his eyes snapping shut then back open to look down at her beautiful face. Removing the soft suede glove finger by finger and running his hand through a lock of her hair. The slow contact made her shiver and lean in to his touch.

"Sarah my love, when you refused me you refused the kingdom" at her bewildered expression he continued, quoting himself "_look what I'm offering you. Your dreams_. Did you not realise?"

"...But, that's not fair! I just wanted my brother back!"

Unable to control himself he released all the anger that had been cooped up all night "Oh for god's sake Sarah! You had won at that point, Toby had already been returned"

An incredibly awkward pause engulfed the two of them. Jareth moved towards her bed and slumped down on the soft cushions and leaned back onto the head rest.

Minutes went by...or was it hours, either way for Sarah it felt like a life time and she knew she had to be the one to end the silence.

A timid voice cut through the air like a knife, barely a whisper but definitely there, "Jareth I'm...I'm sorry. Is there nothing I can do?"

_Oh this was all too easy_ he mused whilst tapping an index finger to his chin to give her the impression he hadn't already decided what she must do. He exhaled dramatically and lifted his line of vision to the girl who stood in the centre of the room fighting back tears.

"Well?"

The figure raised from his place on the bed, casting an imposing shadow on the wall behind him, the glitter on his clothes catching the moonlight and dancing as he moved towards her. Sarah had to fight her teenage hormones as the mysterious man approached her. Her thudding heart sent vibrations into the room around her as the Goblin King took one last step toward her, practically pinning her down to the dresser.

She sat on the edge knowing there was nowhere left to back up in to. Her heartbeat made her whole body pulse and he leaned in to her, his mouth mere centimetres from hers, his lips parted and he whispered "Run my Labyrinth for me, and I will give you everything you desire" Finally closing in on his prey he locked their lips together while his spare hand pushed her shoulders backwards...through the mirror...straight in to the Labyrinth.

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Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts in a review, good or bad :)

'till next time dear reader, HappyH xxx


	3. It's a crystal, nothing more

Hello again, It feels like it's been ages since my last update so sorry about that. I have proof read it like three times but I have a feeling there're a few cheeky spelling mistakes hiding in there somewhere. So if you spot one grab it by the ear and tell me how naughty it's been :p

Would like to say thank you to a certain unique fantasiser who helped stop me from making Jareth a goody two shoes from here on in, I dont know what came over me, a nice Jareth?! it'd never work )

**Disclaimer: Y'know what I dont own labyrinth or the characters, never have, never will. It belongs to a handful of lucky clever people, round of applause for them :D **

* * *

A vast land glittered in the moonlight, an angry wind howling around the Underground. A man and a girl stood under a willow tree, her hair furiously whipping around her face, and the trees long limp branches stretching with the gale.

The man's cape violently twisted and twirled around his feet but he seemed not to care, ignoring her insults and teenage moaning, taking mild satisfaction in how she had to shout over the sound of the wind, he held up a gloved hand and stated "My dear, you would never have agreed. I did what I had to do to get you here"

"I would have liked an input you jerk, how dare you bring me back here, and how dare you kiss me! That wasn't fair I had nowhere to move to. You must be very lonely if that's the only way you can get a woman to kiss you!"

She was waving her hands around, emphasizing every word, willing him to understand how truly angry she was with him. It didn't look like it was working.

"Oh believe me; I have no problem getting women to...kiss me. Oh and trust me Sarah that was _not_ a kiss, that was nothing. You have so much yet to come."

"Well then trust _me_ that will certainly not be happening with you. Now take me home you pig!"

Jareth turned away from her and took a few paces forward, breathing in the cool night air and sighing. In the distance a bird was singing, a sweet song that he hoped she could hear and smirked, _she's behaving just as I expected, god forbid she just accepted that she won't be leaving this time._

His lack of attention riled her to the point of fuming, so she ran up behind him and pushed his back. To her disappointment it didn't faze the man, who simply remained standing tall and proud, arms crossed, one foot tapping on the floor. "Will you listen to me? Take me home!" She edged around to his front and gazed up into those eyes, the angry approach wasn't working, so she'd try a different method and slid her hands up his stomach, seeing him inhale sharply she continued up his chest until her hands knotted together behind his head. "Take me home" she whispered.

Jareth's eyes remained over her head, staring out to the horizon watching the birds flit and swoop and sing, then pulling away from her embrace and mustering up all the sarcasm he could and sang "Nope"

Sarah scolded at him and huffed in desperation "Why not?!"

"...because my precious little thing, you agreed to run the labyrinth. Yes Sarah you did. You didn't stop me from kissing you, which is a very positive reaction wouldn't you say? Ooh isn't this fun?"

He smirked at her, filling her with venom that she wanted to inject into that snake of a man stood in front of her. Lunging at him she scrunched her hands into fists and beat on his chest not even caring that it wasn't visibly affecting him, she just needed to get this rage out, and what better way to get rid of it.

With a raised eyebrow he stared curiously down at her, rather enjoying the closeness and the passion emitting from her, but no one, not even her could raise their fist to the king. He grabbed her wrists and squeezed them tightly making her recoil and twist her body away from him.

"...please...ahh...STOP!"

He released her, pushing her backwards onto the ground, he started pacing the dew soaked grass and circled around her "Do not try your luck Sarah! That is no way to behave. You might as well face the facts, you are running the Labyrinth and you will remain here with me forever" he snarled.

She was panting out of anger and pain, the air surrounding her seemed to chill and large clouds left her mouth with each breath, plucking up the courage by digging her heels into the ground she replied "You told me...Jareth you told me if I won I'd rule the labyrinth with you. How do I know that I want that? You lied to me, you told me nothing bad would come from me wishing you to my room" She pleaded.

A chuckle rose up from his chest a self satisfied noise that rumbled through the groaning wind; it left his lips and filled her ears, making her stomach sink and her skin crawl.

"You are smart Sarah, how can you not understand?"

She frowned at him and he looked deeply into her eyes and told her with mocking innocence "I lied precious. It's as simple as that. I cannot wait to see you struggling, the labyrinth isn't your biggest fan right now, let's just say she won't be too kind to you this time, your last visit will seem like a walk in the park, to coin a human phrase. Oh, but where are my manners, I must explain the rules to the lady"

He held out a hand to her, an offer to help her up from the ground, she slapped it away and scrambled to her feet, slipping slightly on the grass, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment "Goblin King, this is NOT FAIR!" he rolled his eyes but she continued anyway "If I win I have to stay here, if I lose I have to stay here, what's the point in me even trying?"

"What's the point? I will show you, you foolish girl!"

Holding up a crystal ball in each hand he motioned for her to look into the left one first: Sarah was dressed in clothes that had seen better days, her hair uncombed and knotted. She was walking through a dark corridor holding a bowl of grapes, pushing a door open she entered the room behind, a busy room filled with goblins running from side to side. She approached the throne in the centre which was occupied by a man smirking and kicking one leg over the armrest, kneeling down she offered the bowl to the man who looked away and motioned for her to give the grapes to a goblin sat to his right who gladly scoffed them straight from the bowl, all the time being watched and smirked at by the King. The crystal swirled with fog as different images flitted through it, a room with a bed made of straw, cleaning, cooking, sweating, crying, a riding crop to the back of the hand, wincing, running, escaping, failing.

Her breath hitched in her throat "Is that what you want?"

"No. But that is what will happen if you lose, rules of the Labyrinth and all"

He offered her the other crystal which she took in two hands and gazed into it: She was smiling, sat in a throne next to the King, she was speaking to the goblins, Jareth hanging on every word, hunched over scrolls of paper writing orders for the kingdom, strolling through a luscious garden, the flowers were blooming, a bed drenched in silk and velvet, sparkling, royal meals, a ballroom, swirling, dancing, happiness, the stars dancing in the sky, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, smiling, waving, bowing down to her. To them.

The crystal cleared and a sadness shot through her "...are they my only choices?"

He smirked

"If you win, you get everything. Surely you don't idealise the first? That would be insane. I have a feeling the second appeals to you more, who wouldn't want a life of royalty?" the sarcasm dripped from his voice

Sarah turned and walked away from him to stand outside of the willow tree. Jareth observed her as she ripped through everything she'd just seen, and pieced them back together, trying to find a flaw. He savoured this moment. She was completely at his mercy, either way he had a victory, he could feel proud again. The sun started to rise in front of her, casting a long shadow that licked its way to where he stood. It was early. Very early. She would need sleep before she ran; if she was going to succeed she'd need lots of energy. He would take them to the castle and find her a room to stay in; no doubt she would refuse his own chambers. The thought lingered in his mind, _oh what a delight it would be, all in good time though _he smirked.

He was roused from his thoughts by the flickering of light in front of him; Sarah had turned around and paced back towards him, stopping inches away so she could see the irises of his eyes.

"I have thought it through; it seems I am running the labyrinth again, so why shouldn't I win? Why shouldn't I have everything I've ever dreamed of, I never thought it possible but here is my chance. There's no chance in hell that I'm going to lose and have to serve you forever you pompous big head!"

_Atta girl, my stubborn, selfish Sarah, why shouldn't you win it all? Although we may have to work on that 'never serving me' idea, yes that will definitely have to go_...

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Thanks for reading guys, let me know what you thought.

Much love, HappyH xxx


	4. The Labyrinth's request

Sorry it's taken so long to post, I feel like I haven't stopped working this week. The story is beginning to take form now as the plot thickens and a new character is intruduced. I hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or any of it's characters. However I do own a rather nasty man who you will meet in three, two, one...

* * *

Goblins by nature are very nosy creatures, and when there are not one but two visitors at the castle, their curiosity was at its peak. The dingy corridor they were all huddled in was filled with shuffling feet and whispers of "Shhh",

"I am shhhhd',

"will you both shh",

"don't tell me what to do",

"I can't hear what they're saying",

"Everyone shush!" and the biggest goblin shot them a warning glare and they all conceded, edging closer to the door, their little warty hands cupping their little warty ears.

Behind the door the two men were speaking in hushed yet heated tones, their voices echoing off the cold dining room walls. They were discussing a matter most urgent and one of the men was leaning across the table so he could lower his voice further, It wouldn't do to have the goblins spreading the gossip all around his kingdom.

"Just because my Labyrinth has chosen you to do this task, it does not mean you are above me, you will never be above me, and those not above me must do as they're told, understand? You will do what she has asked you to do, nothing more, nothing less, you hear me?"

Reclining in his chair he checked his nails smugly "Ohhh, My old friend. Why in the underground would I pass up such an opportunity? It would be a crying shame to let this pass me by without having a little fun, yes?" The brunette man had an air to him that made him look like 'the cat that got the cream' and he was delighting in the long coveted power he had been granted over the Goblin King.

"Do not address me as such, I spit at the idea of ever having you as a friend of mine. You're here to do a job, against my favour might I add. Do not think you can use this chance to cause havoc here, it will not work, I simply will not tolerate it"

The man laughed "My dear boy! I would do no such thing, how dare you imply it. I am going to carry out the task at hand to the best of my ability and then I will be on my way. I don't wish to stay here any longer than necessary...it smells here y'know Jareth? Must be all of those filthy subjects of yours. No wait the girl is here isn't she? That'd be it." He knew he was playing with fire but he was enjoying the heat, watching the sparks fly beneath the surface and longed for them to catch alight to something much bigger.

"Salem, It is with much regret that you are here, why the Labyrinth chose you I do not know, a slip in the old girls judgement no doubt. Mark my words if you put one foot out of line I will..."

"...Will what?" he interrupted sharply, rage building behind his eyes "you'll ostracise me, force me to rule some baron waste land for all of eternity? Oh but your majesty! It's like I've had déjà vu, I believe you've already played that card. My, my you're old brain must be struggling to come up with new tricks these days, yes?"

The Goblin King stood, pushing his chair backwards to topple over and lunged over the table grabbing Salem by the collar and pulling him up with unreal strength to stare the man in the eyes "I'm warning you, you are not welcome here, you never will be, you are here at the Labyrinth's request. If you hurt her... If you take any liberties while you're here I will snuff out your life as if it were a candle" he snarled, releasing his collar with such force that caused the man to stumble backwards to the ground.

Jareth stood there for a moment breathing deeply, forcing his urges down, but how he longed to let them out and unleash unspeakable pain upon this most hated man. Disgusted to be in the same room as him once more, the hatred for each other showed quite clearly, turning the space around them deathly silent.

Three loud claps echoed through the room, reverberating into the kings pointed ears and boiling his blood in his veins. Slowly Salem rose to his feet "very good. Nice to know the old man hasn't lost his dark side! Although I rather think that you are powerless in this situation and that just chills you to the bones doesn't it? Calm yourself, I will not hurt your_ precious_ mortal, I will do what the Labyrinth has asked of me, but don't you forget, I was requested for a reason. I have a feeling she thinks you'd be too soft on the runner and that wouldn't do would it?" he let out a satisfied chuckle and noted that the king before him simply stared into the distance feigning indifference but there was a definite anger threatening to spill at any moment, he continued letting the sarcasm slide off his tongue "Poor little Goblin King, what possessed you? Falling for a mortal. It makes me sick! What happens should she succeed?"

Jareth stood defiantly and glared into the man's dark eyes and stated quite proudly "Then she rules beside me, and the kingdom will be better for it."

"Ugh God help us! A mortal girl ruling a kingdom, this is one hell of a gift to give her just to get your end away old man" the laughter was rising from his chest again; he knew how to rile the king and was thoroughly enjoying every millisecond of it.

Inside he was fuming but his exterior wore all the carelessness and boredom that it was accustomed to "Do you think of nothing else? Do you really think I would be going through all this just for sex? I am above such things Salem, it makes a man weak, as you well know"

Thoughtfully he drawled "No, not sex, you're after more from her no doubt?"

"I think we're done here. Now it gives me great pleasure to ask you to leave my castle and await the Labyrinth's call. Don't you forget, one foot out of line and you're dead, you know I'm a man of my word."

The brunette dipped down in a mock bow, never tearing his eyes from their glare "Of course, Your _Majesty_"

In a flash of light he was gone, leaving Jareth alone who immediately kicked the table leg and huffed in exasperation, muttering under his breath "Poor Sarah is going to have such fun dealing with him" he shook his head and turned for the door, she'd had enough sleep by now surely, time to get things moving.

As the door swung open a gang of goblins fell on their backsides, yelping in fright and scuttling away down the corridor blaming each other for being caught, Jareth clicked his fingers and smirked as the floor turned to ice and they fell onto their faces, sliding away from him whilst screaming and grabbing at the walls, he called after them "Never spy on your king again you vermin!", turning to his right with a flutter of his cape, he began to ascend the spiral staircase up to sarah's chambers.

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Let me know what you thought/think is happening, Thank you for reading, HappyH xxx


	5. Play with the cards you've been dealt

Disclaimer: I hardly need to say it but I will anyway, I dont own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, blah blah blah :p

Enjoy! :D

* * *

Lazing in a bubble filled bathtub was a very relaxed teenager, the air sighing with the scent of sweet peas, the afternoon sunlight pouring in to the bathroom and glaring off of the white tiles, forcing her to close her eyes, which did nothing to rouse her from her listless state. She was enjoying everything about her bedroom in the castle, _who'd have thought the Goblin King had an eye for interior design_ she mused.

As she soaked she reflected on the direction her life was going in, she was 16 years old and about to become co-ruler of the goblin kingdom, it was too good an opportunity to pass up, why should she pass it up? Her days slumber had been somewhat restless due to her mind racing down a million thoughts at once and luckily she'd managed to reach a conclusion: although she had matured she was still Sarah Williams and if she wanted something, she would get it. If that something she wanted was to become ruler of a goblin kingdom, see her friends whenever she wanted and live like royalty then why shouldn't she? Putting up with that man was just part of the package, he had proved he wasn't as bad as she'd made him out to be, even if he spoke in riddles a lot of the time and sent her mind reeling whenever he was around, she would grow accustomed to his ways, besides she liked having something to rebel against.

Her first run of the Labyrinth had taught her many things, one of the most important being that life isn't always fair so play with the cards you have been dealt.

"Psssst...Sarah..."

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Sarah"

Uncertainly she got out of the bath, covering herself quickly with a towel, her eyes scanning the room.

"who's there?" she whispered back.

"Quickly, come to the mirror, I don't got long"

Her eyes widened in joy when it dawned on her who she was talking to "Hoggle!"

"Shhhh shh shh Sarah, I know you's is back underground, and I know why, word kind of gets around here. I just came to tells ya, be careful, If it's gonna be who I thinks it's gonna be then you'd better have ya wits about ya."

A worried expression borrowed its way on to Sarah's face "what d'you mean? Who's gonna be doing what? Hoggle you're confusing me." She laughed

"I'm sorry Sarah, I gots to go, he knows im talking to ya. Good luck sarah, I'm sorry but you're gonna need it."

"who knows? What do you mean?" she spluttered but her friend was already gone.

_Well that was weird _she thought, her relaxed state now a thing of the past. Sure Hoggle scared easily but that was different, this seemed serious.

A knot in her stomach had started to form that she just couldn't shake, maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she first thought. Wrapping a robe around her and tying the cord tightly around her waist in an attempt to hug back some form of her previous confidence, to no avail. Leaning on the stone window sill she eyed the Labyrinth cautiously as if it would jump up through the glass and bite her, and the feeling of dread brewed stronger.

_What if I lose?_

She hadn't paid much attention to that option, and she wasn't about to as three loud firm knocks boomed through the door.

"Sarah, what is taking you so long?"

"Don't come in Goblin King! I'm in the bath!" She lied

"You cannot get out of this run simply by locking yourself in there you know, and you will not tell your king and host what to do, this is my castle if I wanted to come in then I shall"

"You wouldn't do that, you're far too much of a gentleman" She sing-songed through the door

"Oh you think so do you?" With one foot on the door he turned the handle and pulled it several inches towards him, with his eyes glued shut and a wicked smile licked his lips as he heard her gasp in shock. His free hand held a hot mug of coffee through the door which she snatched instantly.

"Do not test me Sarah" he chuckled

The large wooden door swung open and she gave him a defiant glare, then bobbed her tongue out at him and strode past to sit on the stool by the dresser.

"If anyone else did that they would be suspended head first in the bog of eternal stench"

"You sound like a broken record Jareth, is that the only punishment you can think of?"

"A broken what?"

Sarah shook her head to tell him it didn't matter then took a large gulp of coffee before setting the mug down on the dresser, very consciously she began tugging at the cords of her dressing gown, trying to get it tighter as if it were the only thing keeping her body together. He observed her as she struggled with something in her mind, before finally allowing herself to say something that was bothering her.

"Why have you done this to me Goblin King? I've just learned I truly love my family and now I'll probably never see them again, do they even know I'm gone? Oh I'm gonna be in so much trouble" The sudden outburst startled the king so much so that he barely noticed when the tears started to fall from those eyes. His company brought all her emotions to the surface and she couldn't help but let them spill "you teach me to appreciate the things I have and then take them all away from me. Correction: take me away from them"

Through her tears she glanced up at him and he felt his heart melt, how could he have forced this sadness on to her, she was so beautiful, and kind, she had a goodness about her that he'd never found in anyone Underground. He pulled his emotions together and reminded himself _What's said is said._

"I'm sorry Sarah but there is nothing even I can do now, you are bound by law to run my Labyrinth. If...when you succeed we will sort something out for your family. If you lose...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" he waited for his words to sink in, until her tears stopped falling, and tried his hardest to keep his majestic composure and careless exterior firmly in place before continuing "You'll be pleased to know I have arranged some more suitable attire for you to wear during the run, I doubt those horrible denim pants could withstand another adventure" he gestured to the pile of clothes in the corner of her room and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Hey! I like those pants!"

He ignored her and pointed at the bed where a new set of glittering clothes now lay. Her tear streaked face gave him a nervous glance as she approached the bed and picked up the top which was a black vest made from a very hard material, it glittered as she moved it and her heart sunk when she realised it reminded her of his armour, the pants and shirt were similarly Goblin King-like, tight leggings made from something that felt like sandpaper on the outside and a billowy cream shirt to go under the vest, looking down at the floor she noticed a pair of boots.

"Everything to your liking precious?"

"Erm...yeah...It's just..." She stuttered trying to piece together what Hoggle had said, whilst running a finger nail down the vest, trying to damage it, but no matter how hard she tried it would not rip.

"Just what? It's very rude to not show gratitude to a gift you know. Even ruder to try and break said gift, especially in the presence of the giver"

Smiling sheepishly she muttered "Sorry, it's just...Jareth is this armour?"

"Yes... And?"

"Well why would I need armour?"

"So that you don't get hurt, I want you back in one piece you know"

"Well, why don't you just make the run easy? You want me to succeed right? So why would I need armour against you?"

Realising he was backed up in to a corner he chose his words carefully and awaited the wrath of the young girl as he explained what had happened and what would be happening very soon.

* * *

Waiting for something to start that you're particularly excited about can be an exhausting task, as a young brunette fae was now discovering, sitting in his throne like chair, one leg over the other, foot wagging impatiently, fingers drumming on the arm rest.

Roughly one hour had passed since his meeting with the _almighty_ Goblin King and the thoughts of what he could put the old man through at the young girl's expense were filling his head. Such power at his fingertips, at his mercy, long had he dreamed of it but never had he thought it would be granted, nor would it taste so delicious.

A chuckle erupted from his chest which echoed fantastically through his study.

"...and what has got sir so happy?"

The man slid through the door at the sound of laughter, his long dirty nails scraping against the wall as he entered the room.

"Ah! There you are Doyle, just the man I wanted to see"

"Can I get you anything sir? Or perhaps you'd like me to run you through the list of new inmates?"

"No not yet, something better has come up, come, sit with me a while. Drink?"

The man nodded his head eagerly, and a strand of his long greasy hair fell over his face which he quickly brushed back and accepted the goblet of ale. Taking a large gulp, he observed his boss and smirked at the way he seemed...excited? Something excellent must have happened to have him in such a mood.

"Well then sire, where were you called away to?"

Smirking proudly he delivered each word with enjoyment "Do you remember a foul old man, by the name of Jareth? You know who I mean, tights, backcombed hair, always surrounded by disgusting creatures and bursting into song. Yes him. Well it would appear he's a tad smitten with a mortal girl who beat his Labyrinth, I know I don't understand it either, but somehow he got her to agree to re-run, this time to rule alongside him as the prize. Well the mortal has annoyed his little labyrinth and the old girls refused to let Jareth be in control, she feels he would be too soft on the girl and has took it upon herself to hire someone to do his job for him, someone who doesn't like him, someone who will do everything in their power to stop her from triumphing"

"Who?!"

"Me you blithering idiot!"

"Oh right yeah, or course. So what're you gonna do to her?" Doyle took a twisted pleasure in delivering punishment, and was far too keen to hear Salem's answer.

"Oh you know me, I wouldn't like to give away my secrets so soon. You'll be there should I need you though, never fear" the muscles around his mouth tensed into a toothy smile, and the pair broke in to knowing laughter, an unusual sound in such a depressing location. The sound ended abruptly when Salem rose from his chair apparently hearing a silent calling.

"Oh it would appear the mortal is finally ready. Wait for me here Doyle, I will be back shortly"

"Where are you going?"

An evil smirk graced the left side of his face as he answered "I'm going to the Labyrinth, It's time to play with the king's pet human"

* * *

Things are really heating up next chapter, Sarah's run will FINALLY be starting and you'll get a nice taste of just how nasty Salem is, Oooh he's a naughty boy I promise you!

Hope you enjoyed reading, until next time, HappyH xxx


	6. A basis for comparison

Well a'hellooo there!

I didn't think I'd update this soon, i'm proud of me, are you proud of me? Gee thanks :D

**Disclaimer:** I dont own Labyrinth.

_Dont I?_

No. Sorry, but no you don't.

_Awww man!_

* * *

**A Basis for comparison**

"well, well, well, what have we here? The King and his pet monkey I wouldn't wonder, so you haven't backed out yet then mortal? Oh, and I see the King hasn't come to his senses, what a shame. Do not worry sarah, he'll realise the mistake he's making when he sees just how weak you truly are, once I've broken you."

The labyrinth had called to it's stand-in master, and quite obediently he arrived within moments, joining the two figures a top the sandy hill. The underground laid out around them, glowing in the afternoon sun, water colouring the landscape with orange hues.

The man approached the couple, observing each as he spoke. Finally he stood a foot away from the girl, he cocked his head to the side, taking in her form and treating her to his snidest of smiles "I see he's dressed you up as a female version of himself, what's that, no riding crop? How surprising. Hmm I see why he's taken with you, you are a particularly fine specimen, for a human" he shuddered at the word and muttered "...disgusting"

Sarah furrowed her brow, flitting her eyes down then back up again to his pale face with an amused look of defiance she argued "I may be a disgusting human but at least I don't have gum on my boots and dirt under my nails" turning to the goblin king "I didn't even realise you had gum here?"

"Of course my sweet, how else do you think I get the goblins breath so minty fresh? It's not like they brush." He flicked his wrist and procured a packet, offering it to the girl "Gum?"

A chuckle left Sarah's smiling lips as she accepted a strip and slid it into a handy pocket in her pants, "Thank you, I'll save it for later."

Taking a strip himself he placed it in his mouth, grinning smugly he offered the packet to Salem who simply tutted and turned back to sarah "Why do you want to stay with this buffoon? Surely there are some less-acne covered boys your age aboveground that tickle your fancy, but no, the spoiled girl has her sights on the king and noth..." He continued talking but Sarah's attention had been caught by something over Salem's shoulder, the goblin king in all his finery, glittering and smirking, staring penetratingly deep in to her eyes, radiating a tingling warmth that made her breath hitch. He began to chew, never ceasing the contact, she watched intently as his lips twitched and a perfectly round bubble was blown, it popped and she couldn't refrain from laughing. _He_ was blowing bubble gum, and what's more, he seemed fairly expert in the art.

Sarah's giggles were cut off when she felt an ungloved hand grab her chin and spittle attack her cheek "What do you think you're laugh..."

A roaring voice cut through the air and shook the ground underneath them "Salem, remove you filthy claws from sarah's face this instant! Thank you. If you ever touch her again you will be severely punished. Sarah my dear, first chance you get, I'd wash your face if I were you, no one knows where _those_ hands have been."

She grimaced.

Salem gave the Goblin King a deathly cold stare, losing his temper through his heavy breathing, he rounded on Jareth, raising his fist as he walked "You!" before his fist could clench to it's tightest Sarah had launched herself at his arm and was fiercely pulling him back away from the king.

"Who do you think you are? Attacking a king, have you no brains at all?" suddenly shocked by her outburst and suppressing the thought that she had already placed a number of fists on the blonde fae, she hesitated, but the flood gates had opened and she felt a need to protect the king, to which the man in question could only smirk at how quickly she'd let her guard down against him. "You're nothing compared to him, he told me what you did and I think you're a vile person, how anyone could do what you did is beyond me, Jareth could've killed you and you should've been thankful, instead he spared you and you haven't an ounce of gratitude. Now please can we start this, sooner we start, sooner we finish and you can go back to that bridge you live under, and we'll never have to see your troll face again." A quick glance to Jareth showed he was impressed, eyebrows raised and satisfied smile on his lips, rendering her cheeks stained a burning red.

One thing more frightening than an angry person, is a person who has great reason to be angry yet instead seem calmer than a smooth flowing mountain stream, as opposed to snarling and heavy breathing they merely smile a sickly sweet smile and bat their eyelids. Salem gently stepped forward and raised a hand to her face, keeping it away from her flesh by an inch, Jareth crept to their side with concern in each step.

"Oh Sarah, he has chosen well hasn't he? I wonder how he's managed to make you like him so much since yesterday?"

"Let's just say I've had a few things explained to me, and I now have a stable basis for comparison about what a real villain _actually_ looks like."

The brunette fae stepped back and smiled to himself "Ahh, naive little human, you have no idea what a real villain is capable of, you soon will though" he raised a hand and grabbed something from the air, which appeared as if from behind a thick fog. Three twisted wooden columns held two large connected glass spheres, it was filled with an emerald green sand, that sparkled brightly.

He held it steady in two hands and smirked as the goblin king narrowed his eyes.

"You have 3 Rules to abide by, break them and you will be sent back aboveground with no memory of your family, friends or of him" gesturing to Jareth.

It was an odd feeling, one she'd never felt before but Sarah could sense Jareth tense up to her side, she shot a glance at him, his glare at salem didn't falter but he placed a hand gently on her lower back and she felt a wave of energy and empowerment fill her to the brim.

"Name them" she instructed.

He chuckled "number one: You are not to ask for help from any residents of the goblin kingdom, any subject who helps the runner will be punished. Number two: the goblin king is not to help you with any form of magic, do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Your majesty, pray tell, do you understand?"

He pondered this, whilst throwing mental daggers at his foe, but then gave a short, sharp nod of the head.

"Good boy" he purred

Sarah's ears twitched as she heard a faint growl vibrate in Jareth's throat "...and the third?"

"number three: You are point blank forbidden to utter the words 'that's not fair', old habits die hard, and I do so hate whinging"

Sarah rolled her eyes at the man's attempt a humour "What's the actual third rule? That one's far to easy to be the real rule"

"Dont be so sure my pet, as I said 'old habits die hard' if you so much as whisper those words then you fail" He grinned a wicked toothy grin as he continued "You'll have thirteen hours to find this hourglass within the Labyrinth or you'll..."

"Woah, _whereabouts_ in the Labyrinth?"

His eyes darkened "That's what you have to find out. It could be anywhere, like a needle in a haystack so to speak"

Sarah's eyes widened as she took in just how vast the Labyrinth was, she blew out a shaky breath as a man whispered in to her left ear "Precious I wouldn't have brought you back if I didn't think you could do it. You are Sarah Williams, champion of my Labyrinth, future ruler of the goblin kingdom and the key holder of my heart" he smiled as her mouth opened slightly "Hmm I know, enough to send you running a mile yes?"

A breathy laugh left her lips and she slowly shook her head and put a tentative hand on his cheek and smiled when he gasped at the contact, running his fingers through hers he pulled it down to plant a single kiss on the back of her hand "Good luck my queen" She blushed wildly.

"errrm, can we start please? Your show of affection is making me queasy"

She flashed a green eyed glance at Jareth and smiled briefly "Right lets get this show on the road! Come on feet." turning on her heels she started jogging down the hill as she'd done the day before, her ebony hair swishing and jumping as she ran.

Somewhere in the distance a goblin city clock chimed 5pm, only 13 hours to go...

* * *

Let me know if you're enjoying or not, what you think might be happening and also let me know if you've caught any pesky spelling mistakes, I warned them all that if they went out they'd go to bed with no supper but they didnt listen and I have a feeling theyre hiding from me now :(

Thank you so much for reading, HappyH xxx


	7. 515pm midnight wonderland

Hey you guyyys!

Sorry it's been so long, two weeks by my watch :s woops

Anywho, hope you enjoy chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I dont own Labyrinth or any of it's characters.**

* * *

"_How do I get in to the labyrinth?"_

"A_ah, now that's more like it. You gets in there..."_

Sarah had found the doors to the labyrinth with minimal effort, remembering its general location from the day before and thanking the high heavens that it hadn't moved position like lots of things did underground. Occasionally swatting away a fairy that attempted to bite her ripe flesh.

She had been looking forward to seeing Hoggle but on first inspection it would appear he was off on other duties. _I wonder what he actually does...gardener?...Chief fairy killer perhaps?_

Moments later and Sarah found herself back within the cold grey alleys, a chill shooting up her spine forced her to start walking, then jogging, then running whilst dragging her fingers along the wall in hope of discovering an opening .

Nothing.

_If only I could find the worm that lived around here_

The little blue creature was nowhere to be seen. Quickening her pace she was forced to jump over the odd stray branch or weeds, continuing to run her fingers along the ragged walls. Five precious minutes had lapsed and she was no closer to the hourglass, she hadn't even found a turning, or an opening, or anything.

A loud huff parted her lips as she stopped in her tracks, kicking the floor which caused a dust cloud to billow around her feet.

"If I were an hourglass where would I be?"

In childish defiance she threw her head back to look at the sky, to look for a clue, looking for anything to help her. All she found were the faint lines of cirrus clouds.

A crow cawed three times in the far off distance, its sudden interruption stirring her from her thoughts, and settling an eerie silence around her, tensing her body.

It was too quiet, Jareth's labyrinth wasn't quiet, there was always some kind of noise, and stood in the unearthly reticence a thought dawned on her. Gradually she raised her hand in to her line of vision unnerved at what she saw there. Nothing. She'd been dragging it along the wall for five minutes yet there was no glitter there, not even a fleck of the stuff.

Checking the walls she noted that it was the same there. They didn't sparkle, didn't even shimmer, in fact they seemed quite dull. This was all wrong.

Calling out in to nothing she exclaimed "This isn't your Labyrinth Salem, you can't just change the decor like this!"

His laughter rumbled through the sky like thunder "Until you've finished here my pet, the Labyrinth is under my power, and if I want to get rid of that damned glitter then I can, he can have it back, worry not. He'll only throw a temper tantrum should I confiscate it permanently. I just feel it rather dampens my style"

"What style's that? Dull and boring?" she retorted.

Again he chuckled lowly "Stop with the sass Sarah, it doesn't suit you. By the way you have 12 hours, 46 minutes remaining. Enjoy"

She could sense the corner of his mouth twist at the edge as he spoke, and stuck her tongue out at to the sky then continued searching, reaching an opening out of pure luck, turning right and straight on, feet pounding the floor. Three times she had to suppress the desire to turn around and check what would've been down the left alley. If she was going to find the hourglass and win her prize she'd have to be persistent: the Labyrinth was big, certainly, but 13 hours is a long time, all she had to do was keep moving.

Over and over she muttered words of encouragement to herself as she seemingly made little progress in what felt like forever, her enthusiasm began to wane. Turning to face the wall she saw a clump of weeds with what looked like eyeballs on the ends of warty tendrils.

"How strange" She idly ran a finger along the vines, lost in thought, revising through the rules.

"_You are not to ask for help from any residents of the goblin kingdom"_

Not to ask.

_Got it._

Breathing out in overly dramatic style "Ohhhh I do wonder which direction I should go in to get further in to this Labyrinth..."

The optical anemone turned away from her and simultaneously blinked towards a door situated over her shoulder, hidden behind vines which she gawped at, surprised as it hadn't been there a second ago. It was low to the ground, the top of the door reaching the base of Sarah's neck, as she ran a finger along it she realised it was covered in black leather with a twisted bronze handle with aqua colour gems set along it.

"Now we're getting somewhere"

Grasping the handle firmly she pushed it down and heard the lock unclick, placing a hand on the pane of the door she pushed it open smoothly and stepped through, turning to wink at the anemone and letting go of the door, which promptly slammed shut behind her just quick enough so that she didn't see the smoke begin to seep through the bricks behind the creature.

"Well looks like I'm going this way then."

Sarah's eyes widened at her surroundings, it was like she'd walked in to a dream, the sky above her was pitch black with stars twinkling gently, but no constellations that she recognised, having spent many nights star gazing with her Gran when she was younger, with the beginning of each night starting with

"_Look Sarah that's Orion's belt, and just above that is Taurus the bull, you can see his eye look."_

A chill spread through the air from the dew soaked grass that stretched along the clearing to the nearest trees, tiny candles hovered in the air, brightening the midnight wonderland.

As she stepped forward she noticed the bushes underneath the trees, they were thick wild bushes covered in white roses that stood out almost fluorescently against the dark surroundings. Reaching the bush she stretched out an arm to touch the stem of a wilting rose, which immediately shivered and sparkled as, to her surprise, it came back to full bloom. Withdrawing her arm in haste and looking down at her fingertips she noticed a few stray flecks of glitter that brought a fond smile to her lips.

The Labyrinth was Jareth's, no matter what Salem did, that fact would never change. Soon it would be hers also, something she now craved with every fibre of her being, he'd proved himself to her, and hearing the stories of Salem's previous actions forced a lightning bolt of defiance and determination through her.

"This just gets weirder and weirder, how did I..." Raising her hand to a second wilting rose she slid her finger up the stem and thrilled as it healed itself "How on earth..."

Then a third, and a fourth.

_...and he had given her certain powers..._

Sarah found herself smiling like a Cheshire cat, as she ran from flower to flower healing each one in turn until the clearing was in perfect health. Brushing her hands together to clear away the glitter she revelled in her handiwork, and leaned her head forward to sniff one particularly fine bloom. Breathing in its scent deeply she felt something brewing in the back of her sinuses, and was forced to let it out loudly.

"Aaaachoo! Oh bless me" she chuckled

"ATTAAAAACK!"

"Huh?"

A tiny pair of hands started clawing at her face and hair, pulling her tresses, and leaving tiny red cuts along her cheeks.

"What the hell?! Stop!"

The frenzy continued violently, a flurry of wings and limbs kicking, scratching and pulling when Sarah's flailing arms finally hit a target and smacked her attacker to the floor.

"ughhh, right, what the hell is going on?!"

"Who are you interloper? What are you doing in my garden?" she brushed her tiny locks behind her ears with tinier hands.

"Um, I'm Sarah, Sorry I didn't realise this was your property, I just walked through that door and it brought me here." She pointed in the direction the door had been situated and realised it had now faded and disappeared "Oh, erm, it was there I promise."

"...are you mad?" the pixie asked incredulously "and what have you done to my beautiful flowers, you've killed them!"

"Huh? No they were dead when I got here and then, I don't really know, I touched them and they did that." Sarah kneeled down to be closer to the woman's level, who promptly fluttered her wings and hovered at eye level with Sarah.

"Ohhhh I've heard of you, you're that girl that ruined the Kings Labyrinth aren't you and now you're here to ruin my garden? Well I'll tell you now I don't like your kind and would appreciate it if you left this instant!"

"What? What have I done wrong? I didn't ruin anything."

"Well you broke a room in the castle, you broke his bridge, you broke so many rules and let's face it sister:You, broke, his, heart!" Accentuating each word with a pointy finger to the tip of Sarah's nose.

"Look _sister, _me and the King have talked things through now and have come an understanding. Now if you don't mind I have a Labyrinth to run..."

"Woah, woah, woah, you're back to cause even more trouble? What are you running for this time? Didn't learn your lesson last time? Wished your pet away or something?" she scoffed

"If you must know, the..._your_ King wants me to rule alongside him, so I'm running to prove myself to the kingdom, I have to find an Hourglass positioned by Salem somewhere in the Labyrinth, and right now I'm wasting very valuable time talking to you, so can I go please?"

"An hourglass you say, I saw one of those not too long ago, where was it now..."

Pushing both hands in front of her as a signal to stop she spluttered "No please! Don't tell me, I don't know what kind of trouble you'd get in to"

Waving a hand of dismissal "Ohh don't be silly, ooooh now coming to think of it it was in the...OUCH!" She screeched as her wings started to singe at the edges and the force of gravity did its job, plunging her to the floor with a quiet thud, smoke drifting up from her startled form.

"Oh my goodness, are you ok? What happened?" Sarah shrieked and the pixie found her feet, stumbling away from the girl.

"Don't come near me! This is what I mean; you cause trouble wherever you go, look what you've done to my wings!"

"No I didn't do anything! It was Salem! I swear, he doesn't want anyone to help me. That must be what he meant by punished. I'm so sorry, are you ok?" she pleaded

The pixie fluttered her stumps pathetically "well what do you think? Idiot..."

Sarah paused, considering the roses for a second "Let me try something" and before the pixie could argue Sarah had stroked her fingertips along her broken wings, and with a flash of glitter they fixed themselves.

"How did you...?"

"I don't know, I can just...fix things it would seem. Better?" the pixie nodded "What's your name?"

The tiny woman's mouth was still wide open, observing her wings carefully as she batted them together and replied absentmindedly "Eledora"

"Pleased to meet you Eledora, now I really have to get moving. I'm gonna go...that way I think" pointing towards a dot of light through the trees "I'll see you around yeah?"

Still in a world of her own "...yeah..."

Sarah stood up with wet knees checking the pixie wasn't watching as she plucked one white rose from the bush and tucked it in to her button hole and ran towards the light, feet thumping along the grass, and towards the next part of her adventure.

* * *

Well there you go, Ill try not to make the gap between updates so long this time, promise! ish...maybe...I'll try Okay!?

Extra cool points go to anyone who got the 5.15 (title) referance, anyone else a huge Bowie fan? haha

_ ButterflyOnTheWall - Haharr that would be telling, lets just say both of our fae fellas have tricks up their sleeves. Thankyou for your reviews they always make me smile xxx_

_ Kyndsie – I Got his name from the Salem witch trials, the whole idea that they were 'evil' beings reflected well on him I think. I like the idea that his parents thought that a good basis to name their son. Oh and don't worry, he'll get his just desserts in the end xxx_

Thanks to everyone for reading, much love HappyH xxx


	8. The King's wrath cometh

Hallo Fanfictioners!

Wow it has been a long time! Let's just say I wrote half of chapter 8 two months ago, and then out of nowhere my laptop thought it was time for a veeeeeery long sleep. R.I.P. laptop :(

But now I have a nice new one and I'm raring to go.

Thank you for waiting you lovely people, I hope you enjoy chapter 8

* * *

**The King's wrath cometh**

A royally bored man sat with his leg cocked up over the arm rest of the chair, absent-mindedly swatting the suede leather of his booted ankle, with the loop of his crop. Growing more and more impatient by the second while he dwelled on the predicament he'd found himself in: Fallen in love with a teenager, offered the pretty thing a share in his kingdom, he'd been forced to invite a nemesis to babysit his labyrinth which had thrown a temper tantrum, and to top it all off he was surrounded by creatures having a drunken chicken balancing contest, one of their most recent favourite pass times.

Summoning as much calmness as he could and donning his 'To you I appear perfectly calm but inside I'm a thunder storm of anger' mask, he addressed the smelly crowd before him "Much as I adore these silly games you've invented,your king requests you cease immediately or I shall personally turn your pets in to soup. Got it?"

Up on hearing their kings culinary plans each chicken was grabbed by the nearest goblin and ushered out of the room, receiving a menacingly courteous smile from Jareth.

"Good. Anyone else wishing to remain in my throne room may do so, but I must insist on hushed tones, I still have this blasted headache from last night and my generosity is, oh, so close to running out...So, SHUSHHH." He emphasized his last word with a forefinger to his pale lips and a glare at the remaining goblins, some of whom decided to scurry out at the last minute, not wanting to even risk getting on his bad side.

As the last of the echoed footsteps faded away Jareth leaned his head back in thought, eyes half closing so only a slither of light attacked his pupils. If it was acceptable for a king to be ill then he'd have declared himself unwell there and then, Sarah had shattered his brain in to tiny shards which were now fixing themselves back together, and the jagged edges were nicking and slicing at his pain receptors. Even feeling as hazy as he did, he couldn't deny a certain young woman was healing him in ways medicine never could. She'd came back, and what's more she was now showing signs of positivity towards him. His heart leapt at the thought.

Rolling his head forward he summoned a crystal and focused on her, his Sarah.

She appeared through the haze, surrounded by trees and rose bushes, candle light reflecting off her, making her skin glow and her eyes twinkle under her lashes. A confusion furrowed her brow before her arms started flailing her arms wildly around her head, striking out at a tiny figure.

Her shrieks echoed off the walls of the room, but he watched intently as Sarah knocked the pixie down to the floor. A moment of calm as she regained control of the situation, and a huge inflation to his ego when he heard he was being spoken about. Soon after the pixie's face contorted in pain and smoke clouded around her delicate wings.

His mouth uncharacteristically fell open when he watched Sarah run her finger up the broken wing and left a small trail of glitter in its wake.

"...how did she..." his sudden outburst startled the nearest goblins initiating a hum of chuckling throughout the room. "Quiet!...So Salem has taken it upon himself to singe my subjects now has he? This will not do at all. Well will it?"

A drone of little voices erupted with cries of "No, no, no", "of course not Maj' sir", "What won't do?"

'Maj' knew right away what to do, and headed straight for the stone window, transforming as he ran and dived straight out in search of Sarah. Wherever she was Salem would be close by.

* * *

To her it felt like she'd been running for hours but a glance behind showed the tiny glow of Eladora's garden, a pin prick on the far edge of the forest. Her feet continued to pound against the soggy floor, each panted breath painfully cold on the back of her throat. Cross country had never been her favourite pass time but she was determined to continue and win.

A sheen of sweat prickled Sarah's forehead as she forced herself to keep running, eyes darting here and there on the off chance that Salem had been lazy and not hidden the hourglass very well.

No. He'd definitely put a lot of thought in to this, and so she decided she needed to leave this forest, no matter how beautiful.

"_Perhaps I could come back here when I'm Queen...I mean co-ruler. Sounds so unofficial though,...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it Sarah, let's focus on getting this done first."_

While her mind was babbling and running faster than she was , and her cheeks blossoming in to heated patches of embarrassment, a much needed distraction flitted past her right eye.

She stopped in her tracks, blood thrumming through her ears and chest heaving, her eyes searching for whoever was with her.

"...Hello?...Who's there? Is there someone there?!"

The wind picked up through the gaps in the trees and blew a soft twirl of leaves along the ground, the rustling making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Who's there!" She demanded, and she was answered by a shadow running from one tree trunk to the next , masked by the darkness of the woods.

"Hey!" She took a step forward, and another. Silence now all around her but her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. "Who is that" _or what _she reminded herself.

Then it ran, scurrying away from her, cloaked by the night, she followed it's steps, through the trees, jumping over branches, heart beat rising. "Will you stop running! I'm not gonna hurt you! Hey!"

Whatever the creature was, it did stop, flew thought the air and landed back on the ground within seconds as it tripped over a thick root growing up from the ground, landing face first in the grass. Sarah reached the creature attempting to get up off the floor and within seconds all her fear vanished.

"Hoggle!"

A Giant toothy smile spread across her face for seeing her friend but there were questions needed answering "Why were you running? Come here, lemme help you up"

"No!" He shrieked and backed away from her hands, kicking it away with a muddy foot.

"...Hoggle what's the matter? Have I upset you?"

"Please, Sarah. You gots to understan..." The small dwarfs eyes widened over her left shoulder and again he shrieked.

Sarah followed his eye line behind her but there was nothing there. No one there.

"Hoggle what is going o..." turning her head back to face him, her eyes began to search all over the forest floor but her friend was nowhere to be seen, just a faint smell of smoke and an eerie silence settling around her once again.

"What the hell is going on..." She whispered to herself.

Kneeling down to pick up the dwarfs shoe that had come off on the root she noticed the smell of smoke got stronger as she got closer to the ground. Then a flicker of light caught her eye, under the gnarled wood. Sarah pocketed the shoe to free both hands, and began to pull at the root, willing it to move and with a loud groan it slowly shifted, revealing a ladder leading down, leaves and clumps of dirt falling down the gap. The whole passage was lit by candles in jars along the wall that flickered and made the ladder look as though it were wobbling.

Sarah breathed out loudly and cast one last cautious look around the forest. Hoggle scared easily but his reaction worried her, why was he running from her. Questions pushed for pride of place in her mind but right now all she could think of was getting out of this forest, and so she climbed down, strands of grass licking her arms as she lowered herself down.

"_Maybe I wont come back here when I'm Queen...co-ruler, I meant co-ruler."_

* * *

Thanks everyone for reading, do leave a review, let me know what you thought and what you think might be up Salem's silky sleeves.

Princess of the Fae – He really is, he's only gonna get worse though sadly. Some people are just set in their ways :p xxx

BW4eva – Thank you. I'm really glad you're enjoying it. I understand where you're coming from, I like a darker Jareth too but in this story...its hard to explain, he's a bit of both goody and baddy. You'll seeeeee ;) xxx

HappyH xxx


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